Old Magic, Old People
by Lady Shadowfire
Summary: A new teacher for the DADA of course. This one has been at Hogwarts before, and everyone is scared of her. Okay, Chapter 3 up, and after this, we'll begin to see some pairings of the romantic kind. Mainly Hr/D, H/G and R/OC
1. A New Beginning for an Old Lady

Old Magic, Old People

Chapter 1

A New Beginning for an Old Lady.

With an exhausted screech, the large albatross flew through the window of the country house. While it wasn't that unusual to see albatrosses around that area, since the house was right next to the Pacific Ocean, seeing one with a letter in it's beak was more then a little strange. 

"Good grief. Where have you come from, my friend?" The albatross gave a tired squawk and gratefully took a drink of water from the bowl the witch had graciously conjured up. "Here, have some fish as well. Then rest for as long as you like. I'm not entirely sure if this will need a reply or not." The witch looked at the letter in her hand curiously, than sat down in a nearby arm chair and broke the Hogwarts seal. 

__

Dear Sharra,

It has been such a long time since we have talked, and I do hope that this letter gets to you in one piece. That poor albatross has had a long flight.

Sharra looked up at the albatross, which was already asleep on her desk and smiled in sympathy.

__

I hope this finds you well, and also Rajah. I do hope you managed to find that poor creature a mate. 

She snorted at that. Rajah, her familiar, was amazingly picky in his tastes. And being as there were very few female tigers in Australia, her white Bengal tiger was still without a companion. 

__

This is not just a personal note, as you may have guessed. 

Professor Albus Dumbledore has asked me if I knew anyone who might possibly take the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. Only your name came to mind. We truly need your help. As you may have heard, You Know Who has once more arisen, and the British Ministry of Magic continues to turn a blind eye to it, thanks to the ineptitude of the Minister, Cornelius Fudge. 

We have a few friends within the Ministry, but unfortunately, not as many as we would like. I know that you still prefer the Old Magic to the modern wand magic that witches and wizards use nowadays, but that might be perhaps the best thing to teach the children. Plus, we need defences around the school that even You Know Who wouldn't be able to remove, and you're the strongest of the Old Ones. 

Please, we truly need your help, Sharra. Refuges are pouring into Hogwarts, and while we have the room, we just don't have the defences. Hogsmeade has now become Apparition-free, as Hogwarts already is, so you'll need to Apparate just a few miles out of the town, and then fly in on broom, or walk, if you bring Rajah with you.

Even if you turn down the DADA position, your help setting up wards around the school and town would be most welcome by all. 

And I would indeed enjoy a visit from you, as we haven't seen each other in so long. 

Yours truly,

Minerva McGonagall. 

Sharra finished reading the letter and swept a strand of black hair out of her eyes. A noise behind her, and a soft rumble, announced another presence in the room. 

"Well, Rajah…how would you like to spend a year in England?" The large white Bengal Tiger standing beside her chair gave her a look, and then eyed the letter. Obligingly she read it aloud to him. 

"Minerva sounds rather worried, doesn't she? Not like the old Gryffindor at all. Not at all…Yes…yes, in deed, I think it's time to go North, my dear. I've quite gotten sick of all this Australian heat. It would be so nice to see snow again." Rajah gave a purr of agreement, licked the back of her hand with a large warm tongue and walked over to nudge the albatross awake. The bird squawked again at the sight of such a large feline staring it in the eyes. 

Rajah gave a purr, then growled slightly, and the bird flew out the window, having understood that it would not need to take a reply back, and was free to spend some time in the Australian sun. 

Sharra had already gestured at certain objects around the room, using Old Magic spells that she'd learnt as a child to shrink everything to a comfortable size and pack it all into a bag. Books, potions, herbs, and other instruments she might need at Hogwarts were quickly packed, and after a few minutes, so were all her clothes. She whistled for her snowy owl, Gunya, to come to her, and put him in his cage. 

"Right. Are we all set?" Rajah made a strange sound half growl, half bark, which she took to mean no. He padded out of the room and came back in; her new Firebolt carried gently in his mouth. "Oh, of course. Thankyou Raj. Now are we all set?" She asked again and this time got a confirming purr from him. "Good. Close your eyes, you two." Both cat and bird did as told. "_Tranversi Hogsmeade!_" With a blinding flash of light, witch, tiger, owl, luggage and broom disappeared from the small country house and Apparated all the way to England. 

From a slightly cool Australian winter, to a slightly cool English summer, there really wasn't much of a difference in temperature. So, still dressed in her normal Muggle clothes of black jeans and a blood red silk shirt, she mounted her broom, put a levitating spell on her luggage and owl cage, and gestured for Rajah to lead the way into Hogsmeade. One complaint from Gunya made them stop long enough to let him out of his cage, and he flew beside them, all the way through Hogsmeade, up the road she'd trudged along as a child, and all the way to the gates of Hogwarts. 

At the gates, Gunya flew up to the Owlery, going to settle in. Sharra and Raj continued on to the front door of the gigantic school. 

"Ah…it's been awhile." Indeed, it had been almost fifty years since she'd been here last, and for all she didn't look more then twenty years old, the subtle changes around the school made her feel ancient. "Well, no use dawdling, lets go see if anyone's home." Broom under one arm, and luggage still floating along behind her, she strode through the Great Hall, up a staircase, down a long hall, up another dozen stair cases and eventually found the teachers lounge. 

Voices floated out to her and she smiled. 

"-so we have assistants for Madam Pomfrey and people to look after the refuges. Another dozen house-elves joined the ranks this last week, and they will surely make a difference." 

"Excellent Minerva. Now, all the teachers have confirmed, with the exception of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and yes, Severus, I know you'd like the position, but then who would you suggest for Potions? No one has your talent in that area." A light grumble from a soft, dark voice made Sharra smile. That must be Severus Snape, who she'd heard much about thanks to Minerva's griping whenever they met up in London. 

"Well, I did send a letter to Sharra, but she may not have gotten it yet-" Minerva broke off as the lounge room door opened and she saw her old friend standing there, the large white tiger sitting calmly behind her. 

"Actually, I only just got it today. Hello Min. Albus, it's surely been awhile." Only a few of the Hogwarts teachers were sitting in the staff lounge, and only two of them she recognised aside from Minerva. Hagrid, she'd met fifty years ago, after that whole Chamber of Secrets mess, when the poor boy had been expelled. Sybill Trelewney also one of her students from that time, a strange woman who was convinced she was gifted with the Inner Eye. Sharra inwardly wondered if she was as much as an idiot as she had been back then. 

"Sharra! What an absolute pleasure!" Albus stood up and smiled at her, arms open to welcome the traditional hug they always shared when they saw each other. Sharra looked him over as she stepped up for the hug, and it was to her sadness that she noticed just how greatly he had aged. Of course, since they hadn't seen each other for almost sixteen years, that was hardly unusual, but the sparkle in his eyes was very faded. 

"Albus. I find it immensely interesting that you found the need to contact me, even though Voldemort has once more got it into his fool head to rise again."

"Yes well, I expect you've already ferreted out the circumstances of his second rising. Please, do say you'll be staying to teach. I think it would do Harry good to meet someone who could explain to him about the Old Magic that his mother left to him." 

Sharra gave him a look as she drew back from the hug and pursed her lips. She looked at the people around the room, taking in the fact that there was only one other female she didn't know, and everyone in the room looked tired. The Snape boy was giving her a look, as if wondering how such a young-looking person could think to teach DADA. Looking back at Albus, she grinned, exposing the teeth that looked like vampire fangs. It had often got her into trouble, usually with wizards or witches trying to put a stake through her heart. 

"Of course I'll stay, Albus. And if your Potions Master will help, we can brew up some protective potions to scatter around the edge of the school grounds. They won't stop anyone with a Dark Heart coming across the wards, but they will alert every person within a five-mile radius. They will also mark that person out. So you may find out if any of your 'refugees' are really what they seem, or if Voldemort is playing games with you."

"Excellent. Ah, yes. Gentlemen, this is Sharra Tamerin, Sorceress of the Blood Royal, and manipulator of the Old Magic. She is one of the Old Ones, and is over three hundred years old, so I suggest you show her your respect." Sharra had rolled her eyes at that last, eliciting a responsive grin from the black haired, young man who smelled to her like dog. An Animagus, no doubt. "Now, Sharra. This is our Potions Master Severus Snape, you of course know Rubeus Hagrid, and Sybill-" He gave her a look that was often used to quell panicked students when she coughed and tried to hide an amused laugh behind her hand. The look did nothing to her, as she was twice his age and more. "Yes, I believe you know Sybill as well. Well, ahem…this is Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungas Fletcher. None of these four have taken teaching positions, as they are more concerned on stopping Voldemort at all costs." His voice was neutral, but she knew he would have preferred if one of them had taken the DADA job. He knew how she liked to teach students after all. 

"A pleasure meeting you all." She bowed her head and looked over her shoulder. "Rajah, come here and be polite." The white tiger glared at her as he walked in, insulted that she would insinuate that he wouldn't be polite. "Everyone, this is Rajah, my familiar. He is very intelligent, and if you cast the translating spell, you may understand what he is saying. I thought perhaps he could patrol the Dark Forest for us." Minerva was the only one aside from Albus who had the courage to actually pat the tiger, since she'd often let him sleep in her bed when Sharra had kicked him out of her own. 

"Now, Defence Against the Dark Arts…I suppose you want me to find out who has Old Magic Talent? Easily done, of course, but teaching them even basic wand-less defence spells is going to take up most of my time. Did you want anything else taught during my time here?"

"Just the basics for the first and second years. Creatures, curses and the like. For the older students, I think perhaps defensive magik and a few interesting spells that, while aren't Dark Arts, are still offensive." Sharra bowed her head in acknowledgment. 

"In that case, perhaps an assistant would be useful." She closed her eyes and cocked her head to one side, ignoring Trelawney's exclamation of delight at watching the older witch using her real Inner Eye. "Do be quite, Sybill, or I might just be forced to revert to my…nastier…self." The Divination Professor instantly shut up, having been both terrified and in awe of the real Seer during her school years. Catching a thought with her Inner Eye, she smiled. "Professor Lupin, if you'd take the time to assist me with assignments for the younger years, I can focus on teaching the defence magic to the older ones. They all seem to like you, after all." He looked like he was about to hesitate, so she played her trump card. "Besides, if I can have a temperamental tiger for a familiar, I can have a friendly werewolf for an assistant professor." She smiled at him and he grinned. 

"Well in that case, I'd be delighted." 

Albus clapped his hands together, happily. 

"Excellent! Well, now that we have that all sorted out, why don't you take your things up to your old room. I'm sure the house-elves fixed it up the moment you walked through the gates. Once you've settled in, perhaps you could join Severus in the dungeons and fix those alarm potions. Then you and Remus can go over this year's curriculum. We still have over a week until the students arrive."


	2. Ghosts Frighten the Living, Not the Othe...

I apologise that these chapters are so short, but I've been busy. Sharra is a not-entirely-human magical creature, which will be explained lately. This isn't a Mary-Sue character, because Sharra is actually a person from one of the novels that I've written (and am hoping to have published). One other thing I apologise for is the song the Sorting Hat sings in this. It's pieced together from other songs, and it sounds a little weird. 

Disclaimer: Everyone with the exception Sharra, Rajah and Gunya, belongs to the Goddess of Words, JK Rowling. 

Chapter 2

Ghosts Frighten the Living, not the Other Way Around.

A week later, protection potions in place (Sharra and Severus found a mutual respect for each others knowledge), class curriculum figured out and understood, Sharra joined the High Table in robes of gold and mahogany, as a remembrance of her own Sorting almost three hundred years ago. She watched Gryffindor table fill up with noisy students who reminded her of her class mates exactly. She immediately picked out the Potter boy, with his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger sitting to either side of him. The girl was wearing a Prefects badge, and from what Remus had told her, had most likely earned it over the last few years. 

"Interesting assortment." Snape muttered, watching Minerva lead the newest first-years between the table. There were not many. Too many people were afraid for their children, and didn't want to risk them, since Hogwarts was the most likely place to be attacked. For some reason that didn't deter the wizarding refugees who filled the fifth table that had just been recently added next to the House tables.

"Indeed. Oh, good grief. Would you look at Sirius." The man was down with the Gryffindor's, sitting opposite his godson. He was glaring at the first years in a most menacing way, while the Gryffindor's around him looked on in amusement or disapproval. The first years instantly recognised him, and they shied away from the Gryffindor table. 

"Idiot." Was Severus' assessment. 

"Now, Sev, behave yourself. No fighting in the school." Sharra reprimanded like an old school marm and he glared at her. She just smiled back. 

He would have said something properly scathing, but Dumbledore chose that moment to stand, and the Hall went silent. 

"Welcome, welcome. I am indeed glad to see all these new and old faces. I have a few announcements to make before the Sorting. To start with, first years are to understand that the Dark Forest is strictly off limits. There are many dark and dangerous creatures living in that forest, and no doubt they will not appreciate the intrusion. Secondly, we have a few new faces amongst the teaching staff. Many of you may remember Professor Remus Lupin, who was our Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor two years ago. He has agreed to return to us, though only in assisting position. He will be assisting our new Professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Tamerin." 

Both Sharra and Remus stood up, side by side and smiled around at the students in the Great Hall. They were just about to sit down when a cackling laugh interrupted everyone. 

Peeves the Poltergeist came flying through one wall, grabbed some unlit candles from a small cupboard to one side of the High Table and started pelting them at students. He stopped when he realised that not a single candle had reached its mark. All of them floated back up to join the other candles and were lit with a single thought.

"What?! Oi! Who's stopped them, then? Who?!" Peeves glared angrily around at the students as the first years trembled and the older students sighed. The refugees, most of whom had gone to Hogwarts as children, smiled in remembrance. 

"Peeves." Sharra's voice was soft and quiet, but it carried over the murmurs of the Hall. Peeves turned to glare at her, and she had to smile at the shocked expression that crossed the ghost's face. Even though she'd been there for a week, Peeves hadn't yet realised she was in residence. Horror crossed his face and he bowed low to her. The students stared, surprised that Peeves of all ghosts would be afraid of the slender, short woman with long black hair. She tilted her head and then pointed toward the nearest wall. "Out." 

"Yes, your most magnificent fire-breathing lady. At once, of course." His voice wasn't mocking, nor was it the oily voice he used when talking to Dumbledore. This tone of voice was pure fear. Something he normally only showed to the Bloody Baron. With a squeak of fear, he zoomed through the indicated wall and Sharra sat down. 

Shocked whispers filled the hall, and all the students who had experience with Peeves now looked at her in respect.

"As I was saying, Professor Tamerin is our new DADA teacher, and I will thank you all to treat her with the utmost respect." Awed murmurs were already racing around the Hall. Dumbledore tried to get another word in, but all the murmurs were quickly turning into loud speculations of what the DADA class was going to be like. Dumbledore looked amused, but Sharra judged this as a perfect time to make her reputation understood. 

"Silence!" Her voice, absolutely quiet, was magically enhanced to the point of shouting. The combination of a quiet voice being shouted out like that made them shut up instantly. Sharra stood back up and loomed. "Professor Dumbledore is trying to speak to you. Now, if you do not sit still and show him the respect he so obviously deserves, you will all quickly find out just why Mr Peeves knows better than to cross me." Her voice was pure venom, and even some of the teachers shivered in slight fear. They had, of course, already met her on equal terms, and knew she wasn't as bad as she sounded. "Thankyou." She nodded respectfully to Dumbledore and resumed her seat once more. 

"Thankyou, Professor." He gave her a look and she smiled as innocently as she could, but decided to tone it down a bit. "Now, secondly, Hogsmeade visits are allowed once more, this year, however, thanks to recent events, students must go down in groups of three or larger, and make sure at least one teacher is with them in Hogsmeade." No one complained, they were all watching Sharra carefully. 

"Now, I think we have delayed the Sorting long enough. Professor McGonagall." Finally the Sorting began, and much to Sharra's pleasure, the Sorting Hat sung the same song it had sung at her own Sorting. Blinking in shock, she leant across Remus to glare at Dumbledore. 

__

Many times they've called me,

And many times I've come,

To Sort you into Houses, 

Each and every one!

Gryffindor most loyal,

Ravenclaw so smart,

Hufflepuff's who toil,

Slytherin's sly heart,

One in all, and all in one,

To the Houses called,

Just come and put me on,

And so you shall be told

Gryffindor of wild more,

Ravenclaw of glen,

Hufflepuff of valley broad,

Or Slytherin of fen

Now slip me snug about your ears,

I've never yet been wrong,

I'll have a look inside your mind,

And tell where you belong!

"Did you tell it I was back?" Dumbledore's twinkling eyes seemed to be laughing at her.

"Moi? Why, Sharra, how suspicious of you. Now watch the Sorting, my lady." Sharra continued to glare about the Hall, until one of the first years fell over on his way to the Sorting Hat, too busy being scared of her to watch his footing. 

"Mr Lorett, you will please calm down and attend to your Sorting." She stated calmly as the boy scrambled backward, obviously trying to get away from her. She gave him a tiny, tiny smile, barely more then a lift of one corner of her mouth. He stared, and then calmed down inexplicably and continued his Sorting. Unsurprisingly, to her at least, the Sorting Hat shouted Gryffindor immediately, and she clapped politely. A few more Gryffindor's, half a dozen Hufflepuffs, and, much to her shock, only one more Ravenclaw, were sorted. That one Ravenclaw joined the other four at their table, and she wondered. Only five Ravenclaws. She looked at the other tables and noted how few Slytherin's there were. 

"Goddess. This is intolerable. How many first years are there?" The question was directed to Professor Vector, on Snape's other side, who counted almost everything she could see. 

"Twenty-one. As opposed to the normal amount of forty or more. Twenty-one. An auspicious number, truly, seven times three. Or three times seven…" 

"But in terms other than Arithmancy, this doesn't bode well for the wizarding community. Dumbledore showed me the lists of students whose names were down for Hogwarts. There should be over forty children being Sorted today. Your thoughts, Severus?" 

"My thoughts, Sharra? Well, my thoughts are confused, worried, and annoyed. And no, I will not share their content with you." Sharra blinked, eyed Snape with her head tilted in a manner that clearly spoke of her working her Inner Eye, and smiled. 

"Your thoughts are far calmer then mine, young friend. Do try not to smile so much though. We wouldn't want to worry the students with thoughts of you acting out of character." He almost smiled right then, but quickly turned it into a deep and angry looking scowl. "Much better, dear. Now, point out these 'troublesome' Gryffindors, so that I can console them in my classes, just enough to make sure they survive your classes this year." To her left, Remus was chuckling quietly, trying hard not to laugh out right and offend Snape more then usual. On her right, Severus was trying hard to keep his scowl in place, but dutifully began to point out the Gryffindors he liked to terrorise the most, without actually pointing at them. 

Sharra very quickly learnt about the exploits of young Mister's Potter, Weasley (all of them, the twins being in their seventh year), Longbottom and young Miss Granger, and even younger Miss Weasley (who was not held in the same context as her troublesome brothers). The others were regarded as normal Gryffindors, complete with blockheaded stubbornness and the usual loyalties that Gryffindors were famous for. 

"Very well. And who are your chosen Slytherins? So that I may know whom to take points from, in the hallways." Severus gave her a confused look, so she clarified. "I have never in all my teaching career, in all the schools I've taught at, taken points or given them, to a student in my classroom. I do not like that form of reward system. It puts too much contention into school life. However, if something happens in the hallways, where the students must merely behave, instead of strive to please, I have no hesitation in taking or giving points. And yes, I do know I'm insane, thankyou." 

Remus was, by this time, making strange fizzy noises as he desperately tried not to laugh. Severus' hands were shaking where they held his cutlery, thanks to his desire to smile instead of scowl. Her way of thinking was so backward to them; it was just that humorous. 

"Do, please, grow up, you two. Come, it's time for dessert." The plates in front of them had cleared up and been replaced by desserts of all kinds, and for the millionth time in her three centuries of life, she wondered how most witches kept such trim figures without resorting to Weight-Loss Potion. 

__

Okay, I admit, this is a weird little chapter. And probably slightly confusing. I'll try to rectify that. Review and tell me what you don't understand, or what you don't like, and we'll see what I can change to make it better. I do appreciate constructive criticism, thankyou. 


	3. Immortality, Curse or Gift?

Chapter 3

What is Immortality? Gift or Curse?

The next day, she was in her classroom, preparing for her first batch of students. Much to her amusement, it was the first years, and thanks to their lack of numbers, they were all bunched together. 

"Well, I think this should just about do it, don't you, Shar?" Remus tentatively used the nickname Sharra had authorised him to use, and she smiled at him. 

"Once more, with a little less fear this time." 

"Sorry, Shar, but after seeing Peeves back down, and how Dumbledore respects you, well, is it any wonder you can inspire fear in even a werewolf such as myself?" 

"Ah well. I find it hard to control myself, sometimes. I'm so used to being scary; it's hard not to be. Especially when I find myself in a class room. But, to answer your question, yes, this is perfect." They'd done the DADA room up in a marsh-like theme, having decided to start the first years on water demons, as the weather-witches had predicted a warm autumn, and the lake was always an attraction. Aquariums littered the front of the classroom, filled with Grindylow, Kappas and even a Merman. Out of curtesy, the Merman's tank was open at the top, and cushioned with the very best sea grasses. The Merman himself, an elderly merman of almost seventy years, had been nicknamed Crown, by Sharra the last time she'd been at Hogwarts. He'd decided to help her with her first and second years as a favour for all the times she'd helped him come to understand human behaviour, both wizard and Muggle. He was one of the very few Merpeople who could speak understandable English. 

"It looks well done to me, Shaarraa." His voice was bubbly, and as always, he basically sung her name instead of speaking it. 

"Well I'm glad you approve, because I can hear the first years lining up outside. If you'll make yourselves comfortable however you will, I'll go call them in." Remus immediately sat down to one side of the main desk, while Crown settled himself against the edge of his tank, so that he could hear and talk to the first years if they asked questions. Sharra walked out of the room and came face to faces with twenty-one very nervous children. 

"You're all here? Good. Now, first things first. We have, not only my assistant Professor Lupin, who, I have no doubt you've already heard, is a werewolf," Cleared throats and audible gulps confirmed that. "but for today, we also have a guest speaker, who is to be treated with respect from all of you. Now, go in and take a seat quietly. Leave your books and quills in your bags for the moment. Hurry up, now." They basically scrambled to get through the door, hoping the faster they went, the quicker the class would be over. All stopped dead as they took in the interior of the classroom. 

"I believe Professor Tamerin just told you to take your seats?" Remus asked with a glint in his eye. The students once more scrambled, but this time it was so that they could find out why so many water creatures were arranged around the room. 

Sharra settled herself against her desk, and clapped her hands once, gaining their attention. 

"Well, now that you've all had a good gawk, please say hello to our guest speaker, Crown of the Merpeople of Hogwarts Lake." She turned her head and gave a short bow to the Merman. 

"Good morning, Crown." The students chorused.

"Good morning children." Crown carolled back in his singsong Mer-voice. 

"Well. As this is a fairly rudimentary class today, I will leave it up to Professor Lupin to explain about water creatures. You may, during the lecture, ask questions of either Professor Lupin, or Crown, or," and she grinned, "if you feel you have enough courage, you may question myself." She nodded satisfyingly to herself and ceded the floor to Remus. 

She watched him work in amusement, and listened with one ear to the lecture and the resulting questions, while most of her mind was occupied with what she would be teaching the much older students. 

To her surprise, the class had only progressed half an hour when one student finally pulled enough courage together to raise a hand, his eyes turned toward her. 

"Excuse me, Professor Tamerin?" Sharra raised an eyebrow in question. "I-I um…well, Mr Crown, uh…he said…"

"Take a deep breath, say it clearly, and keep your ears open for a response. I neither give nor take points in this class, and I do not give out detentions for something as mere as a question." That seemed to bolster his courage, though she wasn't surprised to see that he was wearing a Gryffindor badge. 

"Well, Crown said that he met you when he was young, and, you were a Professor here at Hogwarts then…only…if he was young, and you were a Professor _then_…how old _are_ you?" Sharra blinked, and painstakingly dredged up the memory of the Sorting Ceremony. Ah yes, Richard Holland, that was this particular boys name. 

She stared at him long enough for him to begin sweating than abruptly applauded. 

"Children, I would like you to take a good look at young Mr Holland here, and remember him as he is now, because if I am right, and I usually am," she announced haughtily, "this young man is going to grow into a Minister of Magic. You are, without a doubt, Mr Holland, the bravest eleven-year-old I have met in all my years. And to answer your question, I will be three hundred and five years old, this November." The praise almost made the boy miss her answer, but suddenly all the class was staring at her as if she'd turned into a hydra with a hundred heads. 

"You…three hundred?" Richard Holland was staring; her praise completely knocked out of his mind at her statement. 

"Three hundred and five. I will thank you all to stop gawking like I am the newest attraction at a Muggle zoo. To answer the unspoken question, I am partially immortal. I can only be killed in any one of three ways, all of which you will learn and understand during your sixth year. However, if you wish to do your own research, and hand in a two foot paper on what you find out about immortals, I will grade it for you and in doing so, try to answer your questions. But I believe this class was on water demons and the creatures they interact with, not immortals." She subsided back against the wall she'd been leaning on, and gestured for Remus to continue his lecture. Crown was smirking at her from his tank, the bratty little fish. 

She sighed, and wondered just how long it would take for the rumours of her immortality to spring out around Hogwarts _this_ time. Now she remembered why she didn't like teaching.

As it turned out, her next class was a bunch of seventh years, who, thankfully, were a little more used to strange DADA teachers. In barely ten minutes flat, the whole school had found out that she was partially immortal, and a bare ten minutes after that, the seventh years were sitting calmly in the classroom, hoping she'd explain. She'd used a teleporting spell to magic Crown back into the Lake for the moment. Remus had disappeared, taking the Grindylow and other water creatures back to their office, and was most likely on his way to a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix, the group who had vowed to stop Voldemort at all costs. The classroom lost its marshy decorations, as the seventh year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors had already learnt about water demons. 

"Well. As you all know by now, I am Sharra Tamerin, I am a Sorceress and I am an Immortal, or what is better known as an Old One. If you have any questions…pertinent questions," she added, looking at the red headed twins in the front row of seats, "ask them now."

Immediately hands rose into the air.

"Yes, you. And please state your names before asking the question. So I know who you all are." The boy she'd indicated was a young black man with humorous eyes and a very good voice. Most likely the Quidditch announcer that Minerva had spoken of.

"Lee Jordan, ma'am. How come you're immortal? I mean, did you do a spell, or drink a potion or something?"

"Cleaver question Mr Jordan. Immortality is somewhat like lycanthropy or vampirism, in the fact that it can be transferred to another person if the original wielder of the immortal powers is not careful. When I was only twenty-four, which is why I still _look_ twenty-four by the way, I met an old man by the name of William De Loncrey. When I met him, he was well over five hundred years old, and getting very tired of out living his friends. I on the other hand, was very, very close to being dead. I had an illness called Coruntuda. It's a wizarding illness, and only those who practice magic can be corrupted by it. Well, I had perhaps a week left to live, when William came through the small town I had called home all my life. He heard of the problem, came to the sick room I was staying in, and asked me if I wanted to live. Being so young, and understanding so little at the time, I foolishly said yes, and the immortality that was in him transferred to me. William became mortal, lived another five years as the town's newest medi-wizard, and died peacefully in his sleep. I have retained his immortality ever since." 

One of the twins raised his hand. 

"Yes Mr Weasley? Which one are you, by the way?"

"I'm George, Professor. Why didn't you transfer the immortality to someone else?"

Sharra smiled sadly, "Because I haven't yet lost the will to live, and besides, it is the immortality that chooses its victims, not the victims themselves. For all I know, the moment I loose my will to live, the immortality will jump to the closest available person. And, before anyone is daft enough to ask, I will not try to transfer the immortality to you, because nobody deserves this kind of curse." No one raised a hand after she finished speaking. "No other questions? In that case, we can get on with the lessons. Everyone, leave your wands on the desk, and come form a line in front of these feathers. Today you will learn the basics of wandless magic, leading up to Defence spells without wands." She clapped her hands and pointed at the clear floor in front of her desk, and two dozen owl feathers appeared on the floor. "Each of you take a feather, raise your wand hand over it, and, as if you were calling a broom to your hand, say 'up'." 

They did as told, and the lesson progressed onwards in wand-less levitation. 

As it turned out, a good deal of them had true and proper Old magic, though the members of the Quidditch teams from both Houses were best at it, as 'flying and playing Quidditch without using a wand tends to exercise the Old Magic muscles', she explained to them. 

By the time the whole class had managed to get their feathers in the air and swishing around, she had a headache that was quickly turning into a migraine. 

"Enough. Feathers down." They all relaxed, and feathers floated slowly to the ground. "Now, you may go to lunch, however!" She stopped them from grabbing bags and rushing out with a raised hand. "However, while I encourage you to practise these skills, anyone I catch levitating something heavier then a piece of paper of a feather will be serving detention scrubbing the dungeons. And if you think I've been mean and snappish during this class, that is nothing compared to how I am while watching students scrub class room floors with nothing but a tooth brush and their own muscles." 

They all winced, and muttered together that they wouldn't try levitating anything bigger. It was true, she had been snappish, and wasn't particularly patient when it came to fooling around with their powers. But while she'd snapped a number of times at the Weasley twins and a couple of jokers amongst the Ravenclaws, she'd been surprisingly nice and gentle with the clumsy Miss Halbore, and the easily scared Mr Freight. Those two were now looking at her with something akin to hero worship in their eyes, because she was one of the first teachers who had taken the time with them to work through their particular problems. 

"I am glad we understand each other. Now out!" They scrambled through the door and she was left alone with two dozen feathers and a headache. "Oi. Whoever invented teenagers should be shot." 

With a sigh, she left the feathers where they were and made her way slowly toward the Great Hall. Slowly, because she had to give the students time to gossip about her before she made an appearance. 


End file.
